Published: 19-04-2019

The heoro.com database is updated every day with new studies relevant to health economics and outcomes research added to the PubMed database. 

In this blog, we summarise some of these new additions as they are added to our database.

Studies reporting utilities

• A systematic review reported utility values on the EQ-5D for patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. Buchanan-Hughes 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found mean utility values in beta-thalassaemia, on the SF-36, were 52.74 to 74.5 for physical health domains and 59.6 to 71.1 for mental health domains. Arian 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that utility values for papillomavirus infection-related diseases range from 0.651 to 1 per episode for warts and 0.29 to 0.94 for HPV-related cancers. Ong 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Bladder Utility Symptom Scale (BUSS) was validated against the EQ-5D and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder (FACT-BL) as an overall measure of quality of life in bladder cancer in Canada. Perlis 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Caregivers in the USA reported mean Standard Gamble utility values of 0.61 for scenarios of childhood cancer compared with 0.72 for identical scenarios not labelled as cancer. McElderry 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found SF-36 scores of 31.2 to 52.8 for PCS and 37.4 to 68.3 for MCS in patients with systemic sclerosis. Li 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D and SF-36 values were significantly lower in Dutch young adults with visual impairment than population norms, but the effect size was small; the impact on participation was higher. Elsman 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean SF-6D utility values were 0.58 in adults who had current Clostridium difficile infection and 0.64 with prior infection compared with 0.71 with no prior infection (p<0.05)  in a multinational study. Heinrich 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Secukinumab improved SF-36 and EQ-5D values and pain VAS scores compared with placebo over 2 years in patients with psoriatic arthritis. McInnes 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean SF-6D value in current or ex-smokers in China aged 30 years and older was 0.850 overall, 0.752 if breathless, 0.836 with cough, 0.838 with sputum. Fu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• EQ-5D-3L utility index fell slightly but the EQ-VAS score increased in the Chinese general population between 2008 and 2013. Yao 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Mean SF-36 values were 64.5 in non-institutionalised elderly adults in Nigeria and 52.6 in those institutionalised, pGo to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values were significantly higher in sleep-deprived Korean adults who could catch up on sleep at the weekend than in those who slept for less than 6 hours. Oh 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D, EQ-VAS and Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) were better with nivolumab than docetaxel in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Reck 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Published EQ-5D-5L utility index values vary by a mean of 0.417 across 3125 health states in  Canada, England, Japan, Korea, Netherlands and Uruguay. Gerlinger 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian Symptoms Index (FOSI)  scores were similar with maintenance niraparib and placebo in women with recurrent ovarian cancer. Oza 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• HUI utility values increased from 0.49 at baseline in hearing impaired adults in Poland to 0.56 after cochlear implantation.  Czerniejewska-Wolska 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Expanded prostate cancer index composite for clinical practice (EPIC-CP)  was evaluated in men with prostate cancer and their clinicians in Canada. Brundage 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the Voice Handicap Index followed by the Vocal Performance Questionnaire have the best performance to assess quality of life and functional health status in dysphonia. Speyer 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Occupational Self Assessment (OSA) was validated against the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Old (WHOQOL-OLD) and the Functional Autonomy Measurement System (SMAF) in elderly adults in Turkey. Pekcetin 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) was validated against the PROMIS, PHQ-anxiety-depression scale (PHQ-4) and SF-36 and SF-12 mental component summary scales in US patients with musculoskeletal pain and depression. Kroenke 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases-Chronic Gastritis (QLICD-CG V2.0) questionnaire was validated against the SF-36 in patients with chronic gastritis in China. Quan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Subjective Global Assessment-Dialysis Malnutrition Score and Charlson Comorbidity Index can predict vascular access failure in patients receiving haemodialysis in Italy. Spatola 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Effects on Life Outcomes (VELO) questionnaire was validated in children with cleft palate in the Netherlands. Bruneel 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) was validated as a measure of depression in caregivers of children with chronic diseases in Mexico. Toledano-Toledano 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score was validated in patients with spinal cord injury; the HUI-III has been used to assess utility in NBD. Choukou 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Higher Bergen Workaholic Scale (BWAS) scores were associated with  higher perceived stress scale scores, lower EQ-5D scores and more weekly working hours in adults in Denmark. Lichtenstein 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the CushingQoL and Tuebingen CD-25 have been used to assess quality of life in Cushing's disease; CushingQoL can be mapped to EQ-5D and SF-6D. Knoble 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS) was validated against the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale in caregivers of patients with autistic spectrum disorder in Canada. Gardiner 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Treatment Inventory Cost in Psychiatric Patients (TIC-P), TIC-P Mini and TIC-P Midi were validated as assessments of indirect costs in patients with anxiety or depression in the Netherlands. Kanters 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A version of the BREAST-Q with questions about nipple reconstruction was validated in women undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy in the USA. Peled 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The CalproQuest questionnaire was validated as a screening tool for inflammatory bowel disease in primary care in Switzerland. Chmiel 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• A systematic review concluded that psychological interventions may have a short-term benefit on quality of life in people with chronic heart failure and may improve self care. Jiang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Prevalence of depression, measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire, was 12.3% in US veterans in 2011-2012; prevalence in female veterans increased from 9% in 2007-08 to 14.8% in 2015-16. Liu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• 61% of patients with bipolar disorder also had anxiety disorder on the Bipolar Inventory of Symptoms Scale (BISS). Kinrys 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• T'ai Chi and Qigong improved Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores compared with home exercise in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea in Turkey. Yilmaz Gokmen 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean KOOS and WOMAC scores were determined in the general population of France and Italy based on age, sex and BMI. Marot 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• 18% of US adults found to have glaucoma on screening had depression as measured on the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). Thau 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Korean adults who had received curative surgery for cancer of the prostate, kidney or bladder had similar EORTC QLQ-C30 and PHQ quality of life scores to the general population but lower Duke social functioning scores. Shin 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• A systematic review found that patients and their families report a lack of support and financial issues about travelling for cancer screening or treatment. Vindrola-Padros 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Long-acting olanzapine significantly reduced hospitalisation costs and resource use and improved Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale (CGI-SCH) scores  after 1 year in patients with severe schizophrenia in France. Fefeu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean direct costs of surgery for paediatric congenital heart disease in Belgium ranged from €11,106 for atrial septal defect repair to €33,865 for Norwood operation. Willems 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Average costs of heart transplant in Brazil in 2015-17 was $74,341 per patient, which exceeded reimbursement value by 60%.  Goldraich 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The cost of developing a new vaccine for one of 11 epidemic infectious diseases from preclinical to phase 2a trials is US$14 to 159 million assuming no risk of failure; US$23 to 295 million accounting for probability of success. Gouglas 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Costs per treated actinic keratosis lesion were lower with methyl aminolevulinate phototherapy than with other topical treatments in Italy, at €29 per lesion per patient. Calzavara-Pinton 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 93% of patients achieved a sustained virological response after second-generation direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C in Germany, at a total cost of €67,979; €67,131 medication costs, €824 ambulatory costs and €24 hospital costs. Kruger 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 

Economic evaluations

• Patellar resurfacing is cost-effective in total knee arthroplasty in Canada, increasing QALYs and reducing costs of revision over 14 years. Weeks 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• ALK-rearrangement test with crizotinib may be cost-effective in non-small-cell lung cancer in China, ICER $13,740 to $14,384/QALY gained vs usual care with pemetrexed. Lu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Sarilumab is not cost-effective compared with conventional DMARDs in adults with rheumatoid arthritis in the USA, but dominates adalimumab from a payer and societal perspective. Whittington 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for social activation was unlikely to be cost-effective when added to usual care for schizophrenia in the Netherlands, increasing QALYs and costs but not improving PANSS scores. Wijnen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• First-line afatinib was cost-effective compared with gefitinib for non-small-cell lung cancer in China, with an ICER of US$9820/QALY gained. Wang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Secukinumab showed greater QALY gains at lower cost than certolizumab, adalimumab, golimumab, etanercept or infliximab in ankylosing spondylitis in Canada. Goeree 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adjuvant herpes zoster vaccine would be cost-effective compared with live attenuated vaccine in the Netherlands if it cost €109 per dose in 70 year-olds or €64 for 50 year-olds. de Boer 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A tick-borne encephalitis vaccine would be cost-effective in 3 year-old children in Sweden, with an ICER of 27,761 SEK/QALY. Shedrawy 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Rotavirus vaccination can be cost-effective in Bangladesh, Ghana and Malawi, with a cost per DALY averted of 0.3 to 1.3 times GNI per capita without GAVI subsidies; Rotarix was more cost-effective than RotaTeq. Pecenka 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified no economic models of interventions for crusted scabies and limited models for other scabies interventions. van der linden 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality

• Oxidative stress, measured as urinary oxidized guanine/guanosine (OxGua) levels and 8-isoprostane levels, independently predicted CVD mortality over 14 years in older German adults. Xuan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Respiratory disease age-standardised mortality was higher in the UK than in the other EU15+ countries in 1985 to 2015; mortality fell in men (151 to 80/100,000) but not women (67 to 68/100,000) over that time period. Salciccioli 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Vitamin D deficiency, present in 24% of men and 44% women in Thailand, independently predicted all-cause mortality in men (HR 1.77, 95%CI 1.25 to 2.51) but not women. Srinonprasert 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Annual mortality in people on peritoneal dialysis was 9.9% in China in 2005-2015; SMR mortality higher in smaller centres than larger ones. Yu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Heatwave-related excess mortality is likely to increase more in tropical/ subtropical countries than Europe and North America with global warming without adaptation, the increase by 2080 will be 150% to 2000%. Guo 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 20-year follow-up of 15,357 patients with stable coronary heart disease found that obesity independently increased mortality risk by 12% compared with  normal weight, being overweight did not significantly increase the risk. Younis 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease was 29% in children with trisomy 13 compared with 12% with trisomy 18 in the USA; costs and resource use were higher with trisomy 13. Domingo 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• An increase of 1 unit in genetically predicted BMI led to a 5% increase in mortality in overweight and 9% increase in obese adults in Norway or the UK; risk is linear in never-smokers and J shaped in ever smokers. Sun 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Screening for colorectal cancer with fecal immunochemical tests significantly increases 5-year survival by 23.4% compared with no screening in Spain. Idigoras Rubio 2018 Go to paper on PubMed